BIOL4121: RESEARCH SKILLS MBiol

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• To train students in good laboratory or fieldwork practice, including safety, required for semi-independent research.
• To train students in common techniques of research in biological and biomedical sciences which will be required for the research area of the project selected in the Research Project MBiol module.
• To train students in experimental design and advanced data analysis techniques relevant to the research area of the project selected in the Research Project MBiol module.
• To expose students to contemporary research in a range of topics across biological and biomedical sciences.
• To encourage students to reflect on, and record key employability skills developed over the 4th year of the course.

• Theoretical and practical aspects of good laboratory and fieldwork practice.
• Background and applications of common laboratory and field technology for research in biological and biomedical sciences.
• Workshop sessions exploring the use of laboratory and fieldwork equipment in the context of good practice.
• Experimental design, including generating and testing hypotheses, critical thinking, data recording and maintaining a laboratory notebook.
• Advanced techniques for analysing data generated by laboratory or field work; problem classes in the use of these data analysis techniques.
• Research seminars selected from the Departmental seminar series

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Knowledge of the theory and technology of a variety of laboratory methods to investigate physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology of plants and animals, or aspects of human biology.
• Knowledge of the theory and application of safety practices in the laboratory and field, including awareness of regulatory aspects.
• Practical application of good practice in safe working, record keeping, and data collection in research in the laboratory and the field in biological and biomedical sciences.
• Critical understanding of research in selected areas of biological and biomedical sciences to the limits of current knowledge.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to undertake unsupervised laboratory-based research, including risk assessment.
• Ability to design and execute experimental work within current safety regulations, and accepted good practice.
• Interpretative skills at an advanced level for results of research.

Key Skills:

• Practical skills in safe use of laboratory and field equipment.
• Data analysis, in interpretation and analysis of experimental data.
• Communication skills, through seminar reports.
• Self-motivation, in independent work on assignments.
• Reflect on academic qualities, such as flexibility, discrimination and resourcefulness, together with personal qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring: i. the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility; ii. decision making in complex and unpredictable contexts; iii. problem posing and problem solving; iv. identification of and respect for empirical data.

• Lectures: Talks in which the theory and practice of research technologies and safety practices are discussed.
• Workshops and problem classes: interactive sessions with "hands on" instruction in various techniques and equipment, and discussion of data handling exercises.
• Seminars: Students will be required to attend a minimum of four seminars from the Departmental Seminar series.
• Assessment: 1. Student development in both research skills and employability skills performance will be assessed through a Reflective Journal, which will be summatively assessed to provide a means for the student to demonstrate their acquisition of subject knowledge and development of problem solving skills. 2. Students will be required to produce four seminar reports, which will be summatively assessed.

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